Great Taste Magazine

Bruxie’s sweet and savory gourmet waffle sandwich offerings, commitment to quality and focus on service have earned it a spot on the list of Top 10 US Yelp Restaurants of 2011, a list of most popular US restaurants last year, according to Yelpers. According to the Director of Consumer and Mobile Products at Yelp, who released the information in a blog post, rank was “determined by how many people in the Yelp community have bookmarked the business in 2011, as well as combined with average star rating, total review count, and total check-ins.”

“Yelp has been a tremendous resource for our guests – from finding out about Bruxie, to sharing their experiences and photos,” commented Dean Simon, Managing Partner of Bruxie. “We are grateful to have generated such loyal fans, many of whom are ‘Yelpers’ in such a short period of time. This recognition is a great achievement for every member of the Bruxie team.”

292 North Glassell Street, Orange, CA 92866

714-633-3900

215 West Birch Street, Brea, CA 92821

714-255-1188

www.bruxie.com

officialblog.yelp.com/2012/01/top-10-yelp-restaurants-of-2011.html

Posted by Suzanna

Happy Birthday Zubie's dry dock!

Zubie's Dry Dock in Huntington Beach will be celebrating its 20 year anniversary on Saturday by rolling prices back to 1992. Celebrate and enjoy food and drink specials all day. Zubie’s is a great casual dining spot for seafood, steaks, ribs, chicken, pizza, and oysters served from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. It’s at 9059 Adams Ave. in Huntington Beach. For more information, call 714.963.6362, or visit www.zubiesdrydock.com.

Posted by Suzanna

Nick Katsoris, author of the acclaimed and award-winning children's book series featuring Loukoumi the fluffy lamb, has gathered the favorite childhood recipes of more than 50 celebrities in his delightfully illustrated new cookbook for children and their families, LOUKOUMI'S CELEBRITY COOKBOOK. A minimum of $2 from the sale of each book will be donated to Chefs for Humanity and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

In LOUKOUMI'S CELEBRITY COOKBOOK, Loukoumi and her friends, Dean the dog, Marika the monkey and Fistiki the cat are playing happily when they become hungry. At Loukoumi's home they discover Fistiki's Aunt Cat Cora, a character based on celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author Cat Cora, the first and only female Iron Chef, and President and Founder of Chefs for Humanity, which works to reduce hunger around the world. Aunt Cat offers to help them make her childhood favorite dish Grandma's Special Cream Cheese Cake. The story continues as Aunt Cat guides the friends in gathering and measuring ingredients and preparing them for the oven, all the while sharing child-friendly safety tips.

Beginning with Cat Cora's recipe for Alma's Italian Cream Cake, LOUKOUMI'S CELEBRITY COOKBOOK is divided into Weekend Breakfasts, Lunchtime Favorites, After-School Snacks, Family Meals, and Delicious Desserts. With tasty treats for the whole family, the book includes Rachael Ray's French Toast Cups with Fresh Fruit, Oprah Winfrey's Corn Fritters, Ellen DeGeneres' Vegan Sliders, Beyoncés Easy Guacamole with Corn Chip Scoops, Betty White's Chicken Wings, Miranda Cosgrove's Spaghetti Tacos, Nicole Kidman's Rice Pudding, Matt Lauer's Beanie Weenie Stew, Mario Lopez's Chicken Enchiladas, Marlo Thomas' Corn Pudding, and Eli Manning's Lace Cookies, plus recipes from Jennifer Aniston, Katie Couric, Bridgit Mendler, Jay Leno, Constantine Maroulis, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Amy Poehler, Neil Patrick Harris, Paula Dean, George Stephanopoulos, Faith Hill, Sherri Shepherd, Al Roker, and many others.

LOUKOUMI'S CELEBRITY COOKBOOK also invites children ages 4 to 12 to submit their favorite childhood recipe to Loukoumi's Secret Ingredient Recipe Contest from November 1, 2011, through March 1, 2012, to win a chance to cook that recipe with celebrity chef Cat Cora. The children will be asked to complete the statement: "(Recipe Name) is my favorite childhood recipe because… (in 10 words or less)."

Click here to buy this special book.

Posted by Suzanna

Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report named The Resort at Pelican Hill as its 2012 "Grand Resort" Honoree in the January 2012 Grand Awards Issue.

According to Mr. Harper, the prestigious Grand Awards recognize “the crème de la crème of the properties that I have visited during the previous 12 months.  Each has demonstrated a devotion to personal service and refined hospitality.”

Free of advertising since its inception in 1979, Mr. Harper and his editors travel incognito to write candid and unbiased travel reviews for a private membership service, which provides personalized travel-planning assistance, bespoke tours and valuable travel privileges to its members.

For more information about Andrew Harper, please visit http://www.andrewharper.com and http://www.andrewharper.com/grand-awards-2012

For more information on the renowned Resort at Pelican Hill and their entire list of accolades and awards please visit http://www.pelicanhill.com and http://www.pelicanhill.com/Pressroom_Awards

Posted by Suzanna

Pete Truxaw and Tim McCune, owners Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point, are passionate about educating the public about organ donation. A life-saving heart transplant donation saved Truxaw's nephew Chris 15 years ago at the age of 13, and Truxaw's family has been thankful for Donate Life and Chris' donor ever since.

Salt Creek Grille sponsored the Donate Life Float that was featured in the January 2nd Rose Bowl Parade. A floral portrait of Chris' heart donor, 10 year-old Tommy Weiss, was etched on the float. Weiss was in a car accident that left him in a coma. He later died in the hospital. "The float is a reminder of Tommy and his mother's gift of life," Truxaw says.

Along with the parade float, Truxaw and McCune have been avid Donate Life promoters for years, setting up donor sign-up lists at each of their southern California restaurants, including the new Mama's on 39, and two New Jersey restaurants, in Princeton and Rumson.

“My family and I are grateful every single day for the heart transplant that Chris received and want to do as much as possible to raise awareness and funding for the cause,” Truxaw said.

For more information on Salt Creek Grille, please visit www.saltcreekgrille.com.

and Donate Life www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org.

Posted by Suzanna

Steven Layt has been announced as Applebee Services Inc.'s new senior vice president of operations. With a 23-year background in franchise coaching and executive operations for companies such as Buffet Holdings, Inc and Pizza Hut, Layt's new position with Applebee's comes just in time to help them restructure a company-wide revitalization, from menu changes to building construction plans, says Applebee's President, Mike Archer. Reporting directly to Archer, Layt's arrival at Applebee's brings fresh ideas to company branding with a solid background of experience.

Applebee's is the world's largest casual-dining restaurant chain, with over 2,000 locations in 49 states, 15 countries, and one US territory.  Based in Lenexa, Kansas, Applebee's takes pride in providing a welcoming, neighborhood environment where everyone can enjoy the dining experience.

http://www.applebees.com

Posted by Suzanna

Over 700 guests attended the November opening of Tamarind of London, sister restaurant of Indian-fare centered, Michelin-stared Tamarind in Great Britain. Dressed in saris and traditional Indian attire, attendees that included Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities dined and danced the night away while supporting a great cause.

Lending a helping hand in the night's food to Executive Chef Shachi Mehra was Chef Alfred Prasad, executive chef of Tamarind's flagship location in London.        

General Manager Maneesh Rawat said the restaurant will donate more than $7,000 to the James Beard Foundation, dedicated to celebrating, nurturing and preserving America's diverse culinary heritage and future. "We take great pride in introducing Tamarind of London to the community while benefiting a most worthy organization, the James Beard Foundation,"  Rawat said.

Situated in Newport Beach's Crystal Cove Promenade, Tamarind of London is a more than fitting addition to Orange County's growing eclectic food scene.

Tamarind of London

862 East Coast Highway

Newport Beach, CA

949 – 415 – 8865

Hours are Monday – Saturday 5 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Happy Hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily

http://www.tamarindoflondon.com

Posted by Suzanna

The Vollrath Company, LLC, a leading manufacturer of quality smallwares and equipment for the foodservice industry, has been awarded the Supplier of the Year award by the Allied Buying Corporation (ABC) for the second consecutive year. ABC, a national network of independent foodservice equipment and supply dealers, works with the best suppliers in the industry to provide customers with high quality products at competitive prices. At its recent fall conference, ABC recognized its top suppliers based on quality performance in eight areas, including (1) representation, (2) products and services offered, (3) accuracy, (4) warranty, (5) service, (6) return policies, (7) general enthusiasm and (8) group support. ABC honors suppliers in four unique areas: Light Equipment & Furnishings, Heavy Equipment, Supplies and Tabletop.

Mark S. Mednansky, CEO of Del Frisco's Restaurant Group, is pleased to announce that Sullivan's Steakhouse has raised $125,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). Throughout the month of October, Sullivan's featured its "Pink Menu", a three-course prix fixe selection for $39.95. Five dollars was donated to NBCF every time someone ordered the Pink Menu. This is the third consecutive year that Sullivan's has supported breast cancer research.

As 2011 is drawing to a close, the family at Sapphire is excited to welcome their fifth Winter Holiday Season. This is the time of year when festive spirits are everywhere. The Holidays bring us together with family, friends and neighbors; it is a time to appreciate our blessings, offer and receive gifts of thanks, and to share food – all of our favorite food. In this spirit, we are raising our glass, wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy and Healthy New Year!
For the fourth consecutive year, Sapphire hand delivered a full Thanksgiving meal to the ER staff at both Mission Hospitals. It is our way of saying Thanks to those who work around the clock and miss out on having the traditional meal with their families.

Now is the time to vote for the James Beard Foundation Awards. Please vote for our local chef James Beard. Participating in the James Beard Foundation Awards process has never been easier. Tell us your name, e-mail address, and state of residence, then submit your suggestions for nominees in up to 19 categories, ranging from Best New Restaurant to Rising Star Chef of the Year.

The flagship Yard House, which opened on December 7, 1996, at Shoreline Village in Long Beach, will celebrate its 15th Anniversary this Wednesday from 11am-9pm. Guests who donate $25 or more to Miller Children’s Hospital of Long Beach on Wednesday, December 7, between 11am and 9pm at the Yard House Long Beach location will receive a $25 Yard House gift card while supplies last. Gift cards can be used on a future visit at any of the company’s 35 locations.

When Steele Platt, founder and chairman of Yard House Restaurants, embarked on a leisurely bike ride back in the early 1990s little did he know that he was about to formulate an innovative restaurant concept. Pedaling along the bike path, he happened upon an abandoned waterfront restaurant at the water’s edge in Long Beach. As he peered through its dust-covered windows, Platt had a light bulb moment as he envisioned a new and pioneering restaurant concept that would have three key components: Great Food, Classic Rock, and The World’s Largest Selection of Draft Beer. And, on December 7, 1996, Platt’s vision became a reality when Yard House, boasting a two-story Keg Room coupled with 250 taps of beer, opened its doors to the public. Fifteen years later Yard House has 35 restaurants in 12 states and more than 5,000 employees.

To commemorate the 15th Anniversary, a bicycle will be on display to symbolize the company’s humble beginnings that started with a two-wheel ride and a simple idea.
 

In Dallas on November 30, Jersey Mike's Founder and CEO Peter Cancro, along with several franchise owners, presented Susan G. Komen for the Cure® with a check for $1.1 million on behalf of the franchise system and its loyal and generous customers. This was the culmination of the company's six-month Mike's Way to a Cure® awareness and fundraising campaign for the charity. Susan G. Komen will distribute 75 percent of the funds raised in each market back to the local area where the dollars were raised and 25 percent of the funds will be earmarked for research.

In an open letter of thanks, Cancro wrote, "After meeting Nancy Brinker, Susan's sister and founder of the organization, at the Honoring the Promise Gala held at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, I was greatly moved by the stories of those affected by breast cancer. I knew then that this was a cause we needed to be involved with.

"Travelling throughout the country and at our national conference in June, I heard stories from our customers and from our committed franchise owners about how breast cancer has touched so many lives. Everywhere we went the commitment to the cause was overwhelming.

As a means of bringing back holiday parties, Stonefire Grill launched a Facebook contest seeking the most deserving company, family or neighborhood to win a free, fully catered party for up to 100 guests. “From the scores of submissions we received, there was no way we could chose only one story,” said Justin Lopez, community relations director of Stonefire Grill. “We are pleased to announce our top 7!”

Winners include:
· Nicole Kosoff—Woodland Hills:
A 16-year-old high school student who organizes friends & volunteers to sew pajamas for kids living in homeless shelters.

· Carole Davis—Huntington Beach:
She throws a New Year’s Eve party for senior citizens at Rodgers Senior Center, many of whom are alone for the holidays.

· Judy Diamond—Northridge:
Her tenant tirelessly volunteers at the Van Nuys Rescue Mission and she wants to surprise him with the gift!

· Brittany Chin-Lee—Malibu:
This college student works at the Student Activities Center at Pepperdine University, she organizes a meal for a group of students who aren’t able to go home for the holidays. This year she will have Stonefire Grill!

· Catherine Virola—Canoga Park:
She works at a center that helps developmentally disabled young adults who heavily rely on the staff. Catherine will host a party for all of her co-workers!

· Gretchen Haener-Calderone—Porter Ranch:
Last year, 60 carolers surprised Gretchen’s father, who watched his wife of 59 years pass away 2 years ago. This year she will surprise the singers with the catered party as a thank you!

· Cathy Gonzalez-Pasquinelli—Cypress:
Her children attend an elementary in Cypress where a few of their classmates have fallen on hard times including a 2nd grader battling cancer and a 1st grader whose home burned down. Cathy plans to surprise those 2 kids and several others in need of a great Christmas!

Lopez said that $13,000 in gift cards will be presented to other finalists who submitted entries.

Stonefire Grill, a leader in the fast-casual genre with 7 locations to date, was established in 2000 by sisters Mary & Maureen Harrigan as an homage to their family dinners where delicious food and spirited conversation were served up nightly. All items on the menu are available “to go” and each restaurant is even designed with a special entrance dedicated to takeout — the modern mother’s version of providing a wholesome, delicious meal for her family. Locations are in Valencia, West Hills, Fountain Valley, Irvine, Chatsworth, Pasadena and Thousand Oaks.

The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau and American Express are excited to announce that dineLA Fall 2011 Restaurant Week resulted in a 24% increase in diners from last year’s program. Attracting over 35,700 diners to 304 restaurants throughout the city during its two-week run, dineLA continues to remain one of the country’s largest restaurant weeks, with the city’s top restaurants offering specially priced three-course prix-fixe lunch and/or dinner menus twice annually. The program enters its fifth year with the upcoming dineLA January 2012 Restaurant Week, January 22-27 & January 29-February 3, 2012, and is expected to continue to generate increased revenue citywide.

“Fall 2011 Restaurant Week is a testament to dineLA’s impact on both the restaurant and the consumer,” says Mark Liberman, President and CEO of LA INC. “The program has continued to blossom, and this season we saw a 24% growth, driven in part by an upsurge of online reservations as reported by our partner OpenTable. Heading into the 5th year of the program, dineLA Restaurant Week has proven to be an amazing opportunity for Angelenos and visitors alike to explore our vast culinary scene while contributing to L.A.’s economy.”

This season, one-third of diners reported experiencing dineLA Fall 2011 Restaurant Week for the first time, utilizing the program as a platform to explore the vast number of newly participating restaurants. CHAYA, a supporter of dineLA since the program’s inception and co-host to this season’s Mayor’s Press Conference, reported a booming number of new guests, with Executive Corporate Chef Shigefumi Tachibe noting, “It was wonderful to see smiling new faces in the dining room this dineLA season. We love the opportunity to introduce the restaurant to new diners and dineLA Restaurant Week is always a great way to do just that.”
 

The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 100.0 in October, essentially unchanged from September’s level of 100.1. October’s steady RPI level was the result of softer sales and customer traffic being offset by a more optimistic outlook among restaurant operators.

“Although sales results were somewhat softer in October, restaurant operators reported net positive same-store sales for the fifth consecutive month,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the Association. “In addition, each of the four forward-looking indicators improved in October, which pushed the Expectations Index to its highest level in four months.”

The U.S. restaurant industry entered 2011 hopeful after ending 2010 with two consecutive quarters of one percent traffic increases, but the continuing economic saga of high unemployment and low consumer confidence kept visits to restaurants flat in the first three calendar quarters of the year, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company.

Restaurant traffic was just above the line at +0.2 percent in the quarter ending March and just below the line at -0.4 percent for both the second and third calendar quarters, according to NPD’s CREST® service, which continually tracks consumer use of U.S. restaurants. Quick service restaurants (QSR)/fast food, which represent 78 percent of industry visits, held up the industry with a one percent gain in the first quarter ending March, and visits flat in each the second and third quarters. Visits to casual dining restaurants, which represent 11 percent of industry traffic, declined two percent in both the first and second quarters of 2010 and by one percent in the third quarter. Midscale/family style restaurants, which represent 10 percent of industry visits, saw traffic decline by two percent in the first quarter and down by four percent in the quarter ending September.

Starfish, Asian Coastal Cuisine, is now serving lunch every Wednesday through Saturday 11 Am – 2:30 PM by popular demand. Enjoy all your favorites from our menu or carry out. We will be holding a food drive for Second Harvest Food Bank of OC December 9th – 11th. Help us give to those in need as we will be collecting food and monetary donations. You will be receiving a raffle ticket to win prizes such as bottles of wine, Starfish gift cards, boxed music CDs and more!

She started working before World War II, when the restaurant was still called Fischer's, and she was 16. Today, Dorothy Zehnder turns 90, and continues her daily work in the kitchen of the world-famous Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn Restaurant. Read more »

We are working on a study looking at the restaurant management views on the new labeling laws. Professors Charles Platkin, PhD, JD, MPH and Ming Yeh, PhD, from the City University of New York School of Public Health at Hunter College in New York City are conducting research on restaurant owners' perceptions of a new menu labeling law. Read more »

The San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival is pleased to announce that the winner of the 8th Annual "Chef of the Fest" Competition is Chef Daniel Barron of Blue Point Coastal Cuisine. Celebrated as one of the largest culinary showdowns in Southern California, the competition challenged seasoned and up-and-coming chefs in the San Diego culinary scene to prove their skills in the kitchen. Read more »

The Warrior Cookbook is now available for purchase. Compiled by Fullerton locals Doris and Bob Muschek, this unique cookbook was created to benefit the Warrior Foundation, a volunteer organization dedicated to “help injured and disabled military heroes.” The Warrior Cookbook contains 3 years of hard work and dedication from Doris, Bob and many other contributors in the form of recipes, wine pairings, witty anecdotes, poetry and entertainment suggestions. Read more »

RATIONAL has done it again! Just a couple of weeks ago in Las Vegas, RATIONAL launched the most amazing cooking appliance ever, the Self Cooking Center white efficiency. If you joined us at the Palms Hotel you remember the delicious smell as our chefs prepared a full load of perfectly-baked croissants – right on the floor of the Key West ballroom. Read more »

The explosion in coffee shops that has taken place over the past couple of decades has paved the way for coffee to move beyond drinks. Potato chips are the latest category to be inspired by coffee with new Calbee Pari Pari Variation My Potato, Mocha Cocoa Potato Chips. New in Japan, this product is the innovation of the week from Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics. Read more »